Was this accidental (i.e. from high lead levels in the local water supply used in manufacturing? Or did the outdated soups packets test positive from leeching from the plastic?

Where were the noodles manufactured? They are from Nestle India, implying the soup (and presumably it's packaging plastic) was a local product.

Usually people trust international brands since local brands may be substandard.

Yet local factories in China have been known to outsmart the mother company's inspections in the past, substituting substandard or fake ingredients to increase profit, so this might be a similar scam in India.

and I am ignoring the MSG part, since that chemical is a natural chemical contained in some foods.

But lead is very toxic, and the report suggests a breakdown in quality control at local factories.

we tend to be a decade behind the US in our trends, and the pop stars of yesteryear still draw raving crowds in Manila.

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China has destroyed a reef by making it into an island, but the greens are silent. They are chasing local fishermen whose families have fished there for centuries, and now are trying to say if you fly over it you are entering Chinese airspace.

The strong comments come after US President Barack Obama on Monday weighed in on the growing tensions in the South China Sea, urging regional powers – particularly China – to respect the law and stop ‘’throwing elbows.”
China has rejected US demands to stop all reclamation works in the South China Sea, saying it was exercising its sovereignty and using the outposts to fulfil international responsibilities.
Beijing insists it has sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, a major global shipping route believed to be home to oil and gas reserves, but rival claimants accuse it of expansionism.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan also have varied claims over islets and reefs in the area.